Girls’ basketball: St. Anthony wins 4A title

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Led by Jourdan Cooper‘s 11 points and 14 rebounds and Raquel Johnson‘s 11 points and 11 rebounds, Long Beach St. Anthony has defeated Westlake Village Oaks Christian 53-44 in the Southern Section Division 4A championship game--the first of today’s four finals at the Anaheim Convention Center.

Nia Williams made three three-pointers and pulled down a game-high 19 rebounds for the second-seeded Saints (19-8), who out-rebounded their opponents by a 65-39 margin and built a 44-31 lead with just over three minutes gone in the fourth quarter.

Point guard Brianna Barrett led the top-seeded Lions (24-8) with 13 points, nine rebounds and four steals, but she never got into a rhythm offensively, making only five of 26 shots. Crystal Owasu added 10 points, seven rebounds and six steals for Oaks Christian, which pulled to within three points on a basket by Beth Mounier with just over seven minutes left but got no closer.

Oaks Christian has been held to 47 points or fewer in each of its losses this season. St. Anthony has won nine of its last 10 games, all except this one by double digits.

-- Steve Galluzzo